How Microsoft plans to bring Node.js to Windows 10 IoT

Microsoft wants Windows 10 to power the next generation of connected devices, and to do so the company is bringing Node.js to the core of its Internet of Things (IoT) platform.

“There is an emerging trend of developers using Node.js for IoT scenarios, and we want to meet developers where they’re at and provide them the tools they need to be successful on the Windows 10 IoT Core platform,” wrote Arunesh Chandra, senior program manager of the Charka team, and Gaurav Seth, principal PM manager of the Chakra team.

Currently, developers who wish to use Node.js on devices running Windows on ARM (WOA) are unable to do so. To solve this problem, Microsoft is allowing Node.js to run with the Chakra JavaScript engine. Chakra is a built-in feature of Windows 10’s operating system, and has been optimized to run on WOA devices, according to Microsoft.

“The use of [the] built-in Chakra engine not only reduces the disk footprint impact when executing Node.js apps, but also enables us to bring first-class Universal Windows Platform support to Node.js apps,” Chandra and Seth wrote.

Support for Node.js is still in early development stages. The company will be adding a wrapper between the JavaScript runtime hosting APIs and V8 hosting APIs in order to enable Chakra as Node.js’ JavaScript engine. This will allow developers to use Node.js on any Windows 10 device, and choose between classic Windows or universal Windows apps.

Moving forward, Microsoft will work with the Node Foundation, the Node.js Technical Committee, and io.js contributors and its community to smooth out developer workflows, improve performance, and support io.js.

“We are excited to have embarked on this journey and are eager to listen and learn from the community,” wrote Chandra and Seth. “We are seeking feedback on this effort and are committed to drive toward making Node.js on Windows to be the best in class.”